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Resembling a massive billowing cloud of deadly corrosive fog, the Shoggoth surged forward along the dank corridors of the shattered ruins. It could sense the microscopic residue of the fallen Umbral.
Despite the ruination of the world and the machinations of the god-entities, like Cthulhu, Nartholetep, and Azothoth; the weak scavengers continued to breed in the depths of the corpse world of R’lyeh. The Shoggoth stopped at a crossroads deep in the destroyed city. The spore signs had ceased.
The ruins seemed to collapse in, while at the same time offering hidden areas that revealed themselves with slight changes of perspective. In this world, there was an extra depth beyond the normal three dimensions a human would know. The lines of the avenues and buildings shifted and twisted, a non-Euclidian nightmare of uncertain shapes.
The Shoggoth was a creature/machine of adaptability born in a crucible of ruthless aggression. If one sense failed, it changed its form and used another. Its cloudlike body condensed in a solid shape analogous to a monstrous snake. Its new form quickly grew a multitude of eyes, hidden ears, and a hood of antennae snapped out.
It looked…listened…and probed the pathways. Its prey would not escape. The creature wove back and forth until it sensed something. A whisper or stray emission of energy; the creature couldn’t tell the difference. This deep in the ruins, any sign meant life and a trigger for it to cull the herd of pests.
The Shoggoth exploded again into a billowing mist and flowed down the left pathway with increasing speed. Its thoughts were an alien hunger, to devour.
It entered the cavern of cyclopean buildings like an avalanche, eager to pounce. The Shoggoth swirled about, certain that prey was near. Too late, its formless head looked upwards as the Stygian MindReaver unfurled. The mental assault via sound, strobe, and EM was heavily laden with deep Enochian memetic virality.
The assault was impossible to truly understand, the shapes and patterns invaded the Shoggoth's mind. It forced and teased with hints of untold truths. The twisted logic of the phantasmal signal forced painful changes in its observer. The Shoggoth's mind shattered and its form dispersed in ribbons of twisted synthetic viscera and fragments.
In the corners of the immense but biologically confined abyssal space, the scavenging Umbral came out from their prepared hiding places. They pulled back the woven tarps that hid their signals and scents. The Stygian presence above keened as the materials of the Shoggoth were slowly absorbed by its descending tendrils.
More than one slow Umbral, frozen in fear by the behemoth’s hunger, joined the Shoggoth’s remains in the Mindreaver’s belly. Its feast was concluded with the rest of the Umbrals’ dead eyes looking on, devoid of any thoughts of their own.
One emotion/thought/command rang out as the Stygian folded back in upon itself, returning up into the roof of the cavern.
{{{More!}}}
Without emotion or hesitation, the Umbra population moved out. The once-past owners of the world were now little more than automatons. They were bait and pawns for the menagerie of monstrous creatures that hunted in the wreckage of their ruined world.
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Max woke with a start, yelling in his head. He wiped at his dripping snout, desperate to fully awaken from the nightmare.
“[Mal! Categorize as a custom Chthonic skill and save!]” he screamed internally, still shaking from the savage imagery.
“[D-Done, Max. The creature’s attack is saved as non-system skill and tagged Chthonic Mindstorm with the others.]”. Mal replied, her voice shaking as well. When Max and Mal realized that their shared dreams held valuable tools for hacking and defense, they saved the memories and condensed them into skill macros.
“[Max, I think you’ve taken the Neitchien concept of - whatever doesn’t kill me makes me stronger, too far. In case you didn’t notice, you’re bleeding again. Multiple neural hemorrhages draining into your sinus cavity.]”. Dr. House berated him. Max groaned and ground his teeth.
“[If I could get off this crazy train, don’t you think I would have already? Now tell me the rest.]” Max sent. House grumbled but continued.
“[Your regeneration has already fixed the major damage and should finalize repairs in another minute. The uplift virus has briefly reactivated as a result and grown your dendritic layer another 10%. We’re off the edge of the map, Max. I’m blind as to what this will do to you. This ongoing damage and upgrade could …no will affect your mind.]” House said, sourly.
“[For now, it seems to be making me quicker and smarter. Whether you like it or not, the Chthonic attacks and defenses are an order of magnitude more deadly and effective than the best augmentations. If I can hang in longer, even this Labyrinth can’t stop me.]”
“[Remember, skydiving without a parachute might be fun while it’s happening, but the ending is a killer. You can’t celebrate wins if you’re dead, Max.]” House said, before going silent. Max grunted and pulled up his status screen.
[Name: Max E. Mitchell Level: Adept 22 (19,750/20,000 XP)]
[Body Design Model: Custom – Canis Familiarus Uplift Free Stats: 0]
[Str: 100 Agl: 100 End: 100 Vit: 100 Energy: 1,958/2,328]
[Per: 94 Int: 100 Will: 88 Regen: 1,128/min]
[Body - Claw/Vorpal/KGun:10/10/3 Strike/Disable: 10/10 Speed/Reflex: 10/10]
[Body - Stamina/Tireless: 10/10 Balance/Gymnast/Dodge: 10/10/10]
[Body - Stun/Focus Stun: 10/4 Shock/Arc: 10/3 EMP Blast: 9]
[Body - Strobe/Laser: 8/7 Poison/Poison Spray: 10/3]
[Body - Heal/Regenerate/Transform: 10/10/7 Oxygen/Recycle: 10/7]
[Body - Painless:10 Precision/Ambidextrous: 10/8 Ballistics: 9]
[Body - Unbreakable/Armor: 10/10 Skin: 10 Hulk: 6 Leap: 10]
[Body - Stealth/Chameleon: 8/4 Skin Walker: 1 Gland: 10]
[Resist - Neural Scaffold: 10 Poison: 10 Shock: 10 Sonic: 9 Light: 10]
[Resist - EMP: 10 Heat: 9 Cold: 9 Acid: 4 ANDD: 1]
[Sense - DigiSense: 10 Scent: 10 ExaVision: 10 EM Fields: 8 EchoLoc: 4]
[Mind - AI Assist/Comp (Mal): 10/8 Identify/Analyze/Expose: 10/10/3]
[Mind - OverLayer/World Map: 10/9 Language: 9 Dream Learn: 10]
[Mind - Access/Hack/Intrude: 10/10/6 Privacy: 8 Bastion: 10 Gestalt: 3]
[Mind - Pattern/Decode: 10/6 FastCog/PreCog: 10/8 Telekinesis: 5]
[Mind - Empath/Poker-Face: 10/1 Memory: 9 Multitask: 8 Pilot: 6]
[Mind - Daemon: 5 SkillZ: 7]
[Daemons: Musashi, Sherlock, Tesla, Captain Cypher, Dr. House]
[SkillZ I: Swim, NanoCraft, Brachiate, Meditate, Dim11 Math, Surgery .18]
[SkillZ O: Katana, Kempo, Kunai, Adv Biking, Adv Coding, Customize Skills]
[Domain – Swarm: 8 PowerCore: 6 Backup: 1]
[Custom Chthonic: Domination: 3 Block: 6 MindStorm: 1]
Max had continued to make good gains despite the dungeon’s determination to sideline him. The last couple of levels had been frustrating. Max could feel Clotho’s desire to be rid of him.
The AI had confronted him several times, during the last levels. She had accused him of abusing the dungeon's resources by stealing power and a matter compiler. She had been nearly hysterical when he began using the Chthonic hacks against her dungeon monsters. She had admonished him to be careful using the new attack against other challengers.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
The recent levels had been much easier with Max fully utilizing his unique device and skills. There had been another Gauntlet level, a Kaiju monster level, a Crypt maze, and a phased swarm level called the Hoard. The AI seemed to look for ways to pull Max away from the team, so he couldn’t help them.
The current level was a prime example. The level was called the Mine. The team had been in a train of mine cars dropping into the depths at high speed. Mobile attacks and quick thinking to pick tracks were essential to avoid stalling or crashing.
Max’s car had come loose in a synth-bat swarm and had slowed. Eventually, it had leisurely rolled into the safe zone, and the dungeon declared his level trial complete. He hadn’t even fought a single boss!
Max growled low in his throat. He bounded over to the matter compiler. Clotho had begun metering power and rare materials due to Max’s excessive pulls earlier in the dungeon. He smiled a bit to himself as he attached his jumpers from the MC’s power line to the Tesseract.
Max quickly sat in a meditation pose and split his mind to do his lessons while he waited for his team. One of his instances met with Tesla. Tesla had taken to running an ongoing virtual room that mirrored the inside of the Tesseract. Max’s avatar appeared beside the dapper Serbian scientist. His avatar was taken from his prime in his mid-thirties, wearing a formal 18th-century suit.
“How’s it going Nikky?” Max asked.
“We’ve made excellent progress, Max. The Tesseract is now at six meters as you can see. It seems you were correct. The Tesseract needed additional material to enable further growth, energy alone was no longer the restriction to growth. In fact, with the additional rare earth materials you’ve scavenged from the Labyrinth, power needs have gone down to continue to grow it.”
“That's good news. I think the all-you-can-eat buffet of free power is done. Clotho finally imposed a metered feed on my power draw. If I exceed the hourly limit, she shuts off the power feed completely for two hours.”
“Well, we will have to make do then. I see the power meter is active. I’ll start by topping off the Tesseract’s power core.” Tesla waved a hand. The growing device now had its central Yggdrasil tree with a large translating ring that slid along its length. The extra power core was embedded in the ring that now had a growing number of manipulator arms.
The power core lit up as the trickle of power began to charge and spin up its internals. Tesla watched carefully as the power core's lights pulsated rhythmically. "Notice the improved efficiency," he remarked. Max nodded, his mind already racing with tactics for the next challenge.
“How did the integration of the Mazer rifle from the last level go?” Max asked. In response, one of the four arms flexed out, its end effector had a new attachment…the Mazer rifle.
“Ah, yes. It's tied in as we designed. We’ll need some live tests to calibrate it to the Tesseracts sensor cluster. We will need some more cabling to enable the power core to recharge its power cells, but for now, it should be functional.”
Max frowned. Clotho had also pared down the rest zones matter compiler menu. No more random electronics, servos, controllers, or cables. Since Max had decided to embrace all his abilities, Clotho had reciprocated to make him work harder for his extra advantages. Max eyed the matter compiler resting nestled within the upper branches of the zero-g Yggdrasil.
“Any further progress on our special acquisition?” Max asked.
“Yes indeed. Captain Cipher thinks he has an approach for you that should gain you another level for your Intrusion skill. He’s waiting for you in the programming virtual studio.”
Max split off an instance and continued. “I’m on my way. While we wait, how are we with rare materials and ammunition?”
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Max materialized in the programming studio Captain Cipher liked. He was eagerly watching as the virtual processor ran through its startup procedure. Cipher looked up and smiled.
“Excellent timing, my main man Max. I think I’ve got an approach to avoid this thing from bricking itself. Here’s the deal. We're going to utilize a method called "quantum entanglement bypass" to crack this matter compiler. It's a bit complex, but I need you to take the lead on this one.” Cipher said with his manic enthusiasm dialed up to eleven.
“Quantum entanglement bypass? How many times have you used it before? I doubt the Labyrinth AI will let me steal another if we mess up. Can I do a trial run?” Max said nervously.
“No can do, Maximum Effort. You need to be stressed to ensure you grab a level for your Intrusion skill. I've got your back though. We'll avoid triggering any fail-safes by using a decoy protocol. We'll set up a diversionary tactic to redirect the system's attention while you work your magic on the entanglement bypass.”
“Okay, so while I'm executing the bypass, you'll handle the diversion?”
“Exactly. I'll keep the system's defenses occupied while you slip past them unnoticed. Just focus on the task at hand, and I'll make sure we don't trip any alarms.” Cipher proclaimed.
“Now, while I haven't done this before, it is very similar to your earlier Signal Intercept exploit. First off, we'll need to access the compiler's quantum encryption module.”
“Cool, that type of attack is easy enough. Got it. And then?”
“Once you're in, you'll need to create a virtual entanglement link between our hacking device and the compiler's security interface. This link will allow us to manipulate the compiler's quantum states without triggering any alarms.”
“Right…and how do I create this link without setting off any alarms?
“That’s the best part, you don’t. While I’m messing with security, I’ll intercept the alarm and swap it with random fluctuations. Once we have the link, you'll need to carefully manipulate the compiler's quantum states. Focus on destabilizing the encryption matrix while simultaneously reinforcing our decoy protocol to keep the system distracted.” Captain Cipher was bouncing with his excitement. Max smiled; he had a good crew.
“Alright, Captain. Let's do this.”
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Another instance of Max’s mind slipped into Mal’s space. Her virtual room had lines of code, math, and graphs in multiple dimensions. Mal was ready for him.
“OK, Max. We got interrupted last time. Let's dive into the tensor field equations to describe the interactions between the 11 dimensions. Start with a declension of traditional 3d-1s with gravity translating into the full manifold…”
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Max strained as he formed another instance. Miyamoto’s Zen garden welcomed him. He dropped opposite his sensei, into a traditional lotus sitting position. Max knew better than to interrupt the ancient swordsman while deep in zazen.
He entered a light meditation while he waited. He knew he needed to settle himself before attempting to cultivate his power core. He sensed a shift from Musashi, more spiritual than heard. Musashi spoke.
“Good, you have settled your mind. Let us begin. Feel your core, Max. It is on the cusp of another level. Better by far to achieve advancement using your Cultivation skill than by risking your core in a full depletion.” Musashi’s soft voice resonated across the space.
“Now cycle the energy out. The five-fold lotus technique loops the energy out to your major limbs and returns. Slowly.” Max began to sweat with the effort of forcing the flow into five flowing paths, each resisting his efforts.
“Focus, Max-san. Build a tempo and pull more with each revolution….”
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Another Max formed in a quaint English study; he stood there as Sherlock aggressively played the violin. As he put down the instrument, Max asked.
“That was intense, Sherlock. What was it?”
“That was me…trying to focus, Master Mitchell. 24 Caprices by Paganini is one of the hardest solo concertos. It helps me to let my subconscious play.” Sherlock took his time standing and crossing to the mahogany desk. He shuffled papers aside until he found a box underneath. Holmes pulled his pipe and a tin of tobacco out and concentrated on packing and lighting it. After a few leisurely puffs, he looked at Max with a keen eye and finally spoke.
“I’m not a therapist, Max. I can intuit that you are concerned about your team and your role therein.” Holmes said.
“Yes, exactly. They’re all looking at me differently now. I think they blame me for Clotho’s attitude. The rewards for the levels have been very lacking since I swiped the MC.” Max blurted out with a pained expression. Sherlock simmered, clenching the pipe in his teeth. After a brace of furious puffs, he exploded.
“My god, boy! Now we have proof that even the highest of IQs can be self-delusional. Who figured out the hidden route in the Myriad Paths? Who played off the Kaiju against each other in the monster level? Who correctly countered every wave of the Hoarde level? Bloody hell, boy! They’re looking to you for answers now. Whether you like it or not, they see you as the team leader now.”
“But Charlie’s always been the lead. He’s beat me in every spar we’ve ever had.” Max countered.
“Desist with the nonsensical pack mentality, Max! Use those tortured and growing glial cells and dendrites. Stop! Don’t speak yet. Think! Play out in your head a fight…you against Charlie. Use everything you know about your capabilities and his. Yes, I see you have it now. So tell me, then. Who will win?”
Max growled low but answered with a small voice. “I win.”
“Yes, indeed. Now tell me, is it a hard fight?” Sherlock pushed.
“No. It’s quick…and I don’t get seriously hurt.” Max admitted.
“Ah, now you see. And tell me, Max. If it came down to it, your whole team against you…no restrictions…to the death?” Sherlock had a fevered look in his eyes. The same look he had when laying out the details of a solved case.
“I…would destroy them.” Max shuddered. “But I don’t want to lead, damn it.”
“Max…you’ve bitten the apple that fell from the Tree of Knowledge, not once but many times now. You can continue to pretend to follow if you wish. But will you stay silent, when a wrong answer or tactic will result in failure? I hardly think so.”
“I expect your team may yet have some time to reach the same conclusion but don’t lie to yourself. If you can’t accept yourself as you are, how can you ask them to? You don’t need to assert yourself, Max. If you just continue to try to do the right thing, it will be alright. Trust me on this. I am an excellent judge of character.” Sherlock said.
“Now, we likely have only two levels left of this Clotho’s realm. Can you deduce what the next trial might be, I wonder?” Sherlock said with a humorless grin. Max thought deeply for a second reviewing the levels as he spoke aloud.
“Hmm. The first Gauntlet was just a test to judge our current augmentation levels and our ability to use them. The Grand Hunt level pushed our ability to sense and map. Then we had to use movement and hiding skills to finish. The Myriad Paths focused on solving puzzles both mechanical, electrical, and programming.”
“Then we did another Gauntlet, even harder, that emphasized the use of weapons and tactics. The Kaiju level required us to wear down bigger opponents with ranged attacks and special abilities. The Crypt maze had us fighting traps and ambushes, requiring heavy use of senses and defense. The Hoard had massive swarms of melee attackers which pushed us to strategize and improve long-term combat efficiency.”
“Now, the Mine Shaft. I’m not sure what the rest are facing since Clotho shuttled me right to the end. Looking at my remaining skills in the most need of improvement, I wouldn’t be surprised if the next level focused hard on resistance training.” Max finished his analysis. Sherlock steepled his fingers and answered.
“Very good, Max. That aligned with my observations and deductions. Now my only question is this. Will you share your deductions with the team or hide your burgeoning mind by continuing to underplay yourself?”
Max considered the question but didn’t answer.
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Two days rolled by as Max kept himself busy waiting for his friends. He kept one instance on sensor duty, stretching his swarm out as far as it would go looking for his friends.
He was finally rewarded with a lone mine car rolling down the track. His haggard team was tense and tired but in good spirits. Max jumped to the safe zone MC and began ordering a huge meal. With his ranged sensors, he should be able to get some appetizers and drinks set before they would arrive.
He let his latest notifications roll in as he terminated his multiple training sessions.
[Will +1]
[EM Fields +1, EM Fields reaches level 9. Echolocate +1, Echolocate reaches level 5]
[Gestalt +1 Gestalt reaches level 4. Intrusion +1, Intrusion reaches level 7]
[Cultivate +1, Cultivate reaches level 7. Daemon +1, Daemon reaches level 6]
[Power Core +1, Power Core reaches level 7]
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